Valve.



W. S. SUTTON.

VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4. 1912.

1,140,630, Patented May 25,1915;

THE NORRIS PETERS c0., PHDTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. D. C

WILLIAM S. SUTTON, OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN RADIATORCOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1915.

Application filed April 4, 1912. Serial No. 688,426.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. SUTTON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Rockford, in the county of Winnebago, State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valves, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates in general to a valve, but more in particular towhat I term a relief valve adapted to be connected at a suitable pointin a vacuum cleaning apparatus for regulating the vacuum within theapparatus.

The apparatus as a whole constitutes no part of my invention and Itherefore do not deem it necessary to show the parts thereof,

which consist, generally speaking, of an air pump, a motor for drivingsuch pump, a vacuum chamber in communication with the air pump and apipe leading from the vacuum chamber to different points in a buildingand having a plurality of inlet openings to any one of which a hose andsuitable tool may be attached. The tools are generally of differentforms for cleaning surfaces of different character and fabrics ofdis-similar texture.

It is highly desirable that the vacuum 1n the apparatus be maintained atsubstantially a constant point for the proper operation of the apparatusfor the reason that the increase of vacuum above the desired point willresult in injuring fabrics of delicate texture, and when the operatorcarelessly handles the tool so as to practically close the inlet orificetherein for a sufficient length of time, the vacuum in the apparatuswill raise, thereby throwing an additional load upon the motor operatingthe air pump and resulting in serious injury to the motor. Furthermore,in the event that all the inlet openings to the apparatus are closed andthe motor should be accidentally started, the vacuum within theapparatus would soon reach such a point as to overload the motor andthis is also true if after the apparatus has been used the motor isstopped and im mediately thereafter started, an excessive load will beplaced thereon due to starting under a heavy vacuum.

The primary object of my invention is to place a valve at a suitablepoint in the apparatus whereby air will be admitted into the samewhenever the vacuum in the apparatus reaches such a degree as to tend tooverload the motor; and a further object of my invention is to make suchvalve adjustable, whereby the vacuum may be regulated when it is desiredto have a lower vacuum for cleaning fabrics of delicate texture.

St ll a further object of my invention is to provide a valve wherein alarge volume of air may be admitted into the apparatus in cleaning thesame.

To these ends my invention consists in the structure shown in theaccompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a section of my improvedvalve secured to a suction pipe; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the valvewhen removed from the suction pipe.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the pipe 3 representsany suitable pipe in which the vacuum may be maintamed and, for thepurpose of better description, let it be assumed that the end of thepipe 4 if extended in the direction of the arrow, is provided withsuitable inlet couplings for the attachment of hose and tools thereto,and the end of the pipe 5 extended in the direction indicated by thearrow would lead to an air pump operated by a suitable motor. Secured tothe pipe 3 and communicating therewith is a relief valve consisting of acasing 6 having a wrench-engaging portion 7 and a threaded portion 8 forscrew-thread attachment to the pipe 3. The lower open end of the casing6 is provided with threads 9. A valve seat ring 10 1s provided withsuitable threads 11 for engaging the threads 9, said valve seat ringbeing provided with a central intake orifice 12 and an annular groove 13formed therein. The valve 15 is provided on its under face with asuitable washer 16 and has a depending stem 17 to which the weights 18are attached by means of the link 19. Formed integral with the valve andprojecting upwardly therefrom is a guide preferably formed in twointegral sections, the lower portion 20 of which is slidably mounted inthe guide 21 and held centrally of the casing 6 by means of twolaterally projecting webs 22 and the upper portion 23 of the stem 20 isslidably mounted in the guide 24, a shoulder 14 being formed at thejuncture'of the lower end of the portion 23 and the upper end of thestem 20: said guide 24: being suspended centrally of the casing 6 by thewebs 25. A washer 26 surrounds the stem 23 and is adapted to rest uponthe upper edge of the guide 21 being held in a seated position by thespring 27.

The principal feature of my invention resides in the annular shoulder 28surrounding the valve 15, the internal diameter of which is onlysligntly greater than the eX- ternal diameter of the valve so that anarrow margin is left between these parts that does not increase in areaupon the rising of the valveuntil the lower edge of the valve raisesabove the upper edge of the shoulder 52-8v a distance greater than themargin be- ,tween the outer periphery of the valve and the annularshoulder, the importance .of which feature will hereinafter beexplained.

Assuming that it is desired to maintain a vacuum within the apparatuswhich would be equivalent to eight inches mercury column (which may bedetermined by any suitable gage), and that the two. weights 18 weresuflicient to hold thevalve in seated position until the vacuum in theapparatus raises above eight inches mercury column, as the vacuumincreases above the desired point the suction within the casing 6 wouldlift the valve 15 slightly from its seat, thereby admitting air into theapparatus. The air admitted through the relief valve in conjunctionwiththe air admitted in the apparatus through the tool in the hands of theoperator, would result in a partial vacuum being maintained within theapparatus at about the required amount, but in the event that anoperator so uses the tool asv to close the orifice therein, therebyleaving the relief valve as the only opening through which is admittedinto the apparatus, the suction upon the valve 15 and the inrush of airinto the valve by reason of the contracted opening between the valve andshoulder and it being the only open point, will cause the suddenvraising .of the valve above the shoulder 28, thereby admitting anexceedingly large volume of air and consequently lowering the vacuumbelow normal. It will, of course, be understood that each valve wouldhave to be'proportioned for adaptation to apparatus of different sizesor capacities, but after these proportions have once been ascertainedthe same principle of operation holds good, whether .or not the valve belarge or small.

The point which I desire to emphasize is that my improved valve works inconjunction with the inlet orifice in the tool employed and when theorifice in the tool is wide open under normal conditions the valve wouldbe closed, but as the orifice in .the tool is restricted by reason ofits contact with the surface operated upon the valve will lift to admita sufficient amount of air to compensate for the restricted part of theorifice in the tool and if the orifice in the tool completely closes,the inrush of air through the valve is so great that the valve is notonly lifted by reason of the vacuum, but for the further reason that therestricted opening between the valve and the shoulder 28 causes such apressure upon pressure or vacuum will be instantly reduced below normaland thereby prevent .the overloadingof the motor or injury to the fabricbeing operated upon. I

The washer 26 prevents the valve 15 from being raised above apredetermined point under any conditions except manual operation, forwhen the'shoulder 20 strikes the washer 216 the orifice is thensufiiciently large ,to drop the vacuum below normal, but not to entirelydestroy the vacuum in theapparatus; whereas, if the upward lift of thevalve were not limited the sudden upward lift of the valve beyond thepoint determined by the washer would admit-such a large volume of airthat the vacuum would drop too much below normal, and it would benecessary to admit a sufficient quantity of air through the apparatus toallow the valve to seat before normal action is again secured; Thefunction of the washer 26 the spring 27 is, therefore, to limit theupward throw of the valve, but in cleaning the screenof .a vacuum appar.lfatus it is desirable to introduce a larger volume of air than thequantity passing through under normal working condition, and for thisreason my structure is so .devised that the valve may be manually pushedbeyond its normal op r ing p in and thereby provide a larger rorifice.

I do, not wish it to be understood that I am limited to the particulardetails .of construction shown, as it is obvious that valves of otherforms might be constructed .embodying the general principles ofoperation but departing from the specific details of construction.

Therefore, without confining myself to the form herein shown anddescribed, I claim;

1. A vacuum relief valve comprising a frame, [an annular flangeextending radially inward from the Walls of said-frame and providing aflat annular seating surface, a flat valve disk within said frame,yielding means -.tendin-g to hold said disk on said seat to close theopening surrounded by said seat flange, a second annular flangeextending radially inward above said valve seat and surrounding saidvalve disk and having a diameter only slightly greater than that ,of thevalve disk, the peripheral urfaces of said flat disk and-second annularflange being in parallel relation and the upper surface of said flatdisk disposed below the upper s face. of said. ang h n. sai

disk is inclosed position whereby the flow of air past the valve diskinto the frame is restricted during the greater part of the movement ofsaid valve disk away from its seat to thus provide substantial change inpressure against the valve during such travel thereof, said restrictedpassage Way being increased only when the valve disk rises above thesecond flange to then allow substantial change in the pressure.

2. In combination, a conduit through which air at less than atmosphericpressure is traveling, a valve frame tapped to said conduit, an annularflange at the inlet end of said frame providing a flat valve seat aboutthe inlet opening, a valve in the form of a flat disk slidable withinsaid frame, yielding means tending to hold said valve on said seat, asecond annular flange on said frame projecting radially inwardly abovesaid valve seat and surrounding said valve and of a diameter onlyslightly greater than that of the valve disk, the peripheral surfaces ofsaid valve disk and annular flange being in parallel relation and theupper surface of said valve disk disposed below the upper surface ofsaid annular flange when the valve disk is in closed position wherebythe flow of air into the valve frame is restricted when said valve islifted from its seat and thus prevent a substantial increase in pressurein said conduit during the greater part of the travel of said valve fromits seat and until said valve has moved past said second annular flange.

WILLIAM E. SUTTON. Witnesses:

ROBERT LATHROP, LOUISE LAWRENCE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

